New campaign launched to find missing Morgan NickLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A new billboard campaign has been launched in an effort to find an Arkansas girl who's been missing for 20 years. The campaign was announced Friday at a news conference attended by the girl's mother — Colleen Nick — and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The billboards will be placed in the Fort Smith and Alma areas and in northwestern Arkansas and in Little Rock and show an age-progressed picture of Morgan Nick in an effort to s...

Duggar parents placed locks on bedroom doors after fondlingNEW YORK (AP) — Two of reality TV's Duggar sisters fondled by their brother Josh say they weren't even aware it had happened until he confessed and their parents told them about it. Jill and Jessa Duggar, part of the family featured in TLC's "19 Kids and Counting," were two of the four sisters whom Josh Duggar touched inappropriately a dozen years ago. They talked about it with Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly in an interview set to air Friday n...

Jonesboro woman accused of plotting ex-husband's deathJONESBORO (AP) — Northeastern Arkansas police have arrested and charged a woman they said attempted to hire a hit man to kill her ex-husband. But the attorney for Joy Deason-Werner, 41, argued Thursday in Craighead County court that she should be released from jail because she's in poor health, The Jonesboro Sun reported. Deason-Werner has had several back surgeries and hasn't been taking several medications since her arrest, said attorney Ran...

Wal-Mart keeps it all in the family, chair passed to PennerFAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Wal-Mart is passing the chairmanship of the world's largest retailer from the eldest son of late founder Sam Walton to a third generation. The company said that board Chairman Rob Walton will step down and be succeeded by Vice Chairman Greg Penner, who is his son-in-law. The change took effect at the end of the company's annual shareholders' meeting Friday and came despite pressures from labor-backed worker groups to name a...

Housing chief guilty of breaking record lawLITTLE ROCK — The leader of an Arkansas housing agency has been found guilty of violating the state’s open records act after withholding information from a newspaper. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Little Rock’s Metropolitan Housing Alliance Executive Director Rodney Forte was convicted Thursday of a Class C misdemeanor and sentenced to pay a $100 fine and $140 in court costs. A reporter with the newspaper started submitting public info...

Huckabee downplays comments on transgender peopleLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) â Downplaying a joke he made earlier this year about transgender people, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that he believes voters are more concerned about his thoughts on other issues such as the economy. The former Arkansas governor, who returned to his home state for a fundraising swing, declined to elaborate on the comments he made during a speech in February to the National Religious Bro...

Sister of reality star Josh Duggar says she was a victimNEW YORK (AP) — One of reality TV star Josh Duggar's sisters says in a television interview airing Wednesday that she was a victim of her older brother, who has been accused of sexual misconduct as a teenager. In a Fox News Channel interview, Jessa Duggar says she wants to defend her brother. She says accusations that he is a child molester or pedophile are "so overboard and a lie." The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of a...

Huckabee downplays comments on transgender peopleLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Downplaying a joke he made earlier this year about transgender people, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that he believes voters are more concerned about his thoughts on other issues such as the economy. The former Arkansas governor, who returned to his home state for a fundraising swing, declined to elaborate on the comments he made during a speech in February to the National Religious Broadcast...

Pipeline in Arkansas River ruptures, releases natural gasLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A 2-mile section of the Arkansas River near Little Rock remained closed Wednesday following the rupture of a pipeline that released enough natural gas to fuel about 65 homes for a year. U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Brian Porter said the section of the swollen river, which is near Arkansas' busiest airport, will remain closed until Spectra Energy Corp. crews can check whether the pipeline poses a danger to boats. He said there ...

Arkansas takes part in random commercial vehicle checksLAKE VILLAGE (AP) — Members of the Arkansas Highway Police are conducting checks on commercial vehicles this week to ensure they are safe. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department says that, during a three-day event, inspectors check commercial vehicles, their drivers and their cargo. Organizers estimate that 17 trucks or buses will be inspected every minute across the country. In Arkansas, commercial vehicles will be subject to a 37...

Wal-Mart to let workers add denim pants to work wardrobeFAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Wal-Mart is hoping denim pants will raise the spirits of its more than 1.2 million U.S. store workers. Starting July 1, workers at the nation's largest private employer will now be able to wear khaki or black denim, in addition to the slacks of the same color allowed before. Workers in more rigorous jobs like unloading merchandise or the garden area will be able to wear T-shirts and blue jeans. It's among several changes Wa...

Prosecutor: Death of man who fired at officers was justifiedCABOT (AP) — A central Arkansas prosecutor said the fatal shooting of a handcuffed man in the back of a sheriff's patrol car was justified, because the suspect had a concealed handgun that he fired at authorities. Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Graham said his office reviewed evidence from an Arkansas State Police investigation and determined the sheriff and two agents with a state agency were justified in the May 19 shooting death o...

Governor OKs closure of 7 armoriesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has approved the closure of seven armories in a cost-cutting move that's expected to save the state National Guard more than $268,000 annually. Hutchinson on Monday approved the closure at the request of the Guard to close the armories in Berryville, Blytheville, Brinkley, Crossett, Helena-West Helena, Rector and Wynne, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1dMepLI ) reported. The number o...

Family of slain teen file lawsuit against Little Rock policeLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Little Rock Police Department and a former officer face a lawsuit by the family of a 15-year-old who was fatally shot following suspicion he burglarized a car in 2012. The family of Bobby Joe Moore III filed the suit Monday against Josh Hastings and the department. It comes more than a year after prosecutors dropped a manslaughter charge against Hastings due to deadlocked juries. The suit claims Hastings, who was then an...

Arkansas sees another surge in revenue in MayLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Another month of strong tax collections in every major category is keeping the state's revenue ahead of expectations and last year's numbers, Arkansas finance officials said Tuesday The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said net available revenue in May totaled $335.9 million, which is $20.5 million above the same month last year and $40.3 million above forecast. The state's revenue for the fiscal year that b...

Little Rock man gets 55 years for ex-girlfriend's shootingLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A Little Rock man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the shooting his ex-girlfriend after rehearsal for her 2013 high school graduation. Christian Jackson, 22, was sentenced Monday for attempted capital murder. Jasmine Denise Fisher said that Jackson had threatened to shoot her while she was on stage getting her diploma because she ended their relationship. Prosecutors say Jackson wounded Fisher, then a Parkview Hi...

Lawmaker who opposed primary change leaves GOPLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas lawmaker who split with top Republicans over the state moving its primaries next year from May to March said Tuesday he's left the GOP and is now an independent. Rep. Nate Bell of Mena announced the decision days after Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law the primary change proposal that Bell had opposed during last week's special legislative session. The Polk County clerk's office said that Bell change...

Judge expected to rule soon in information-request caseLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A judge soon will decide whether a housing agency's leader failed to comply with an open-records law over claims he didn't provide documents requested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Court filings show Judge Alice Lightle is expected to make a ruling Thursday after both sides filed briefs of their arguments Monday in Little Rock District Court, the newspaper reported. Executive director Rodney Forte of the Metropolitan Hou...

Next up for Wal-Mart pay raises: department managersNEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart is raising starting wages for more than 100,000 U.S. department managers and workers in its deli and other specialized departments. The moves mark the next wave of pay raises by the nation's largest private employer, which has been under pressure from labor-backed groups for the treatment of its workers. In February, it announced it was increasing minimum wages for entry-level and long-term hourly employees to at least...